42 artists selected for Renaissance Regional Art Exhibit

Release Date: 8/14/2007. Expired: 9/14/2007

Forty-two artists from eight southeastern states have been selected for inclusion in the 9th annual Renaissance Regional Art Exhibit, a juried exhibition at The Renaissance Center in Dickson, Tenn.

The Renaissance Regional Art Exhibit (RRAE) will be on display Sept. 5-Oct. 20 in the Visual Arts Gallery and East Wing Gallery of The Renaissance Center, a fine arts education and performing arts center that opened in 1999. An opening reception for the exhibit will be 6-7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7.

More than 260 pieces by 75 artists across the southeast were submitted for consideration for the annual exhibit. Guest juror Jamie Tracy, an instructor of Photography and assistant for Fine Arts at Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Fla., selected 57 pieces for the exhibit, representing 42 artists.

The RRAE is open to artists 16 and older who live in Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana or Virginia. Works are accepted in all mediums and must have been completed within the past three years.

“As an exhibition that inherently draws from multiple media, subjects and styles, the RRAE is always a crowd favorite,” said Armon Means, curator for The Renaissance Center. “Outside of a private or museum collection, it is rare to find a viewing of such a diverse and assorted group of work, but yet still have it flow together into one harmonious whole. The Renaissance Center is proud to bring this unique and ever-changing exhibition back once again, continuing its tradition of artistic excellence. For many artists, it is their first opportunity for regional exposure of their work and leads to additional chances for solo exhibits not only at The Renaissance Center but in other galleries throughout the region.”

The 42 artists selected for the 2007 exhibition represent eight different states, with Tennessee overwhelmingly leading the way with 28, followed by Florida with four and Kentucky with three. Louisiana and Alabama are both represented by two artists and Missouri, North Carolina and Mississippi have one each. Of the 42 selected artists, 13 have been selected for previous Renaissance Regional Art Exhibits and two previously have been featured in solo exhibitions at The Renaissance Center.

Once the exhibit is installed, Tracy and Means will award several cash prizes for Judge’s Choice and Merit Awards.

Tracy received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from The Cleveland Institute of Art in Ohio and his Master of Fine Arts from The School of Visual Arts in New York.

He has been a practicing photographer for 10 years and specializes in fine art photography, often inspired by traditional abstract painting. Tracy has taught at multiple institutions including The Ringling School of Art in Miami. He is represented in multiple private collections throughout the United States and exhibits his work nationally and internationally.

Means is curating his second RRAE after joining The Renaissance Center last fall. He has taught at both the high school and college level, exhibited in group and solo exhibits across the country and served as curator for several galleries. An Indianapolis native, Means studied photography and sculpture at the Lacoste School of the Arts in France, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Cleveland Institute of Art and his Master of Fine Arts in photography from The Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

He has taught on the faculties of Bethel College (adjunct professor of Art Appreciation), Belmont University (adjunct professor of Photography), Volunteer State Community College (adjunct professor of Fine Arts), Watkins College of Art and Design (photography instructor), Nashville State Community College (adjunct professor of Photography), The Cleveland Institute of Art (photography instructor) and The Cranbrook/Kingswood School (photography instructor).

The artists selected for inclusion in the 9th annual Renaissance Regional Art Exhibit include:

TENNESSEE

Aletha Carr of Spring Hill, Tenn. (also selected in 2006);

Anderson Williams of Nashville;

Bob Dixon of Lynnville, Tenn.;

Cyndy Baran of Nashville;

Daniel Arite of Nashville;

Denise Stewart-Sanabria of Knoxville (also selected in 2005 and 2006);

Doris Tempelmeyer of Old Hickory, Tenn. (also selected in 2005 and 2006);

Dorna McDonald May of Bon Aqua, Tenn. (also selected in 2006 and previously featured in a solo exhibit);

Eleanor Baker of Mansfield, Tenn. (also selected in 2006);

J.S. Tummins of McEwen, Tenn.;

J.W. Kencke of Kingston Springs, Tenn.;

Janis Williams of Clarksville, Tenn.;

Joseph Gayden of Dickson, Tenn. (also selected in 2005);

Judith Jackson of Springfield, Tenn.;

Kelly O’Neill of Brentwood, Tenn.;

Elizabeth Karounos of Ashland City, Tenn. (also selected in 2006);

Fred Myers of Franklin, Tenn.;

Gary English of Nashville;

Larry Safko of Clarksville, Tenn. (previously featured in a solo exhibit);

Lessie Venardo Dixon of Gallatin, Tenn.;

Linda Head of Nashville (also selected in 2006);

Linda Johnson of Pleasant Shade, Tenn. (also selected in 2006 and 2004);

Michael Murphy of Morristown, Tenn.;

Peggy King of Martin, Tenn.;

Phaedra Brewer of Lynnville, Tenn.;

Precious Pedigo of Pleasant Shade, Tenn.;

Rachel Moore of Dickson, Tenn.;

Robert Vantrease of Nashville (also selected in 2005);

FLORIDA

Douglas Bringle of Winter Park, Fla. (also selected in 2006)

Mark Stonehouse of Bradenton, Fla.;

Nemanja Popovic of Sarasota, Fla.;

Troy Pierce of Sarasota, Fla.;

KENTUCKY

Elisa Graff of Middlesboro, Ky.;

Tim Smith of Columbia, Ky.;

Todd Birdsong of Paducah, Ky.;

LOUISIANA

Gerald Ortego of Shreveport, La.;

Michael Elliot-Smith of Alexandria, La. (also selected in 2004, 2005 and 2006);

ALABAMA

Lanette Parker of Birmingham, Ala.;

Robert Bean of Huntsville, Ala.;

MISSOURI

Donna Bachman of Parkville, Mo.;

NORTH CAROLINA

Mark Gordon of Wilson, N.C.;

MISSISSIPPI

Thomas Nawrocki of Columbus, Miss. (also selected in 2005 and 2006);

Many artists selected for previous Renaissance Regional Arts Exhibits have been invited back to The Renaissance Center for solo exhibitions in the center’s multiple gallery spaces.

The Renaissance Center’s galleries are open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Admission to exhibits and receptions is always free. For more information on the RRAE or other exhibits at The Renaissance Center, contact Means at (615) 740-5545 or amon.means@rcenter.org, or visit www.rcenter.org.

The Renaissance Center is a fine arts education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

Visit the Visual Arts Gallery page for more about the gallery.

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